


Let me Sum Up

by tisfan



Series: Tony Stark Bingo [30]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Sorcerers, Time Travel, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 15:17:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18210038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tisfan/pseuds/tisfan
Summary: Tony has a big problem-- and several medium sized ones, and a dozen little ones… but mostly… what the hell is he supposed to say?For Tony Stark Bingo Square S3: Tony as the Sorcerer Supreme





	Let me Sum Up

 

  


Tony paced around the dais, trailing a small armada of floating energy spirits -- they looked alarmingly like copper top batteries, and Tony didn’t want to think about that too much -- like a string of rolling toys.

“I suppose you’re all wondering why I called you here today,” he said.

No, that wouldn’t work, since most of them weren’t even sure what today was, much less that he’d summoned them.

Summoned. Sounded like the sort of word one used referring to a king or lord. “I have summoned you today…”

“It’s been a while,” he said.

No, no, that was no good, either. It had been a while, for him. Some hundred and thirty years, as a matter of fact, but for some of them, in their reality, in their time, he was already there, and they’d either seen him a few days ago, and in one case, he was pretty sure he’d stolen Cap away right as the man was sitting down to a team dinner, and therefore Tony was right across the table from him, like always.

“Let me explain,” he said. “No, no, it’s too much, let me sum up--”

Yeah, _Princess Bride_ quotes were going to go over well. Especially with someone like Bucky Barnes, who might not actually have seen _Princess Bride_. That was a mistake, make sure to rectify that in his timeline immediately.

“Just send them in,” he told the little flotilla of flying energy cells. Only two of them stayed, because it was their job to make his cloak float out dramatically. _I have the cape, I get to make the whoosh noises._

Technically, it wasn’t their job, but it was something for them to do while they floated around, gathering up the ambient energy from Tony’s arc reactor. With all the magic in the air around him, he had to keep a careful eye on the Tesla emissions, otherwise-- well, science and magic mixed, but they did like to be vigorously shaken first.

Tony didn’t bother to sit. Or even stop floating. The floating thing and the cape, that was all part of the air of mystery that being the Sorcerer Supreme entailed.

Strange hadn’t been too subtle, either.

Wow, they looked young.

Confused, and some of them hostile.

The illusions around the energy cores faded away; they had been whoever the person had lost, that they felt trust for, the closest with, who’d left them. An old _Childhood’s End_ trick. Yay, gods of old science fiction stories.

“So, I suppose you’re wondering what’s going on,” Tony said. He glanced at them, plucked from different dimensions and different timelines. They were staring at each other, they were staring at him. Steve and Sam. Bucky and Clint and Natasha. Carol and Rhodey and Bruce. They were all so young and so beautiful.

Thor wasn’t with them because Thor really hadn’t aged much in the last hundred years, and Tony just went and asked him for help. He was already investigating.

“You’re meddling with things you don’t understand.” That was Stephen, who’d once been the sorcerer supreme, or at least in his own time, he still was.

“Contrary to popular belief, I always know what I’m doing,” Tony said. He rubbed his hands together. “So, I’m uh, gettin’ the band back together, and we’re going to do a little reunion tour, if that’s okay. Turns out, despite my best efforts, I cannot do everything by myself. So, I… um. Borrowed you, from times when you still trusted me, or you still cared about me. Or in some cases, you were still alive.”

Steve stepped to the front, because that was what he always did. Steve led. “Why don’t you tell us what you want, and who you are.”

“Who I am, that’s easy. Stephen?” Because they would still trust Stephen.

“He’s the sorcerer supreme. Or, he will be. In about… a hundred years or so.” Stephen was very good with sensing the timelines and divergences. “I’m not sure my judgement will be all that spectacular, appointing Tony Stark in my place.”

“What can I say, Stephen? When you told me math was _magic_ , I just had to try it for myself.”

Bucky-- he hadn’t even been able to look at Bucky, gone so very, very long-- took a step forward, putting himself just behind Steve. Like always. “When did I die, because you know damn well I would never stop lovin’ you, doll.”

“I love you too, honey,” Tony said, not bothering to blink away the tears that spilled over his lashes. “You’ve been gone a while.”

“You don’t look any older--”

“Well, magic beats Oil of Olay for fighting wrinkles.”

“What’s going on, Tony?” Bruce looked around, nervously.

“Uh, in essence? Someone’s messing with space and reality-- and I really need the help, if we’re going to keep everything running smoothly. Why don’t we all sit down, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

He gestured and a grand, round table sprung into existence. “Forgive the dramatic tendencies, I always was all about style.”

Steve stepped forward, reached out his hand for Tony’s, and clasped it. “We’ll do it together, then.”

“Together.”

And then Tony couldn’t wait any longer and he let himself be pulled into Bucky’s embrace. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“I just have one thing to say about this shit,” Bucky said. “If I die in some other timeline, I’m staying with you. Th’ last thing you ever need is t’ be left alone.”

“We’ll… see how that goes,” Tony admitted. “Figure it out, okay?”

“Promise?”

Tony was probably lying, but he’d try his hardest to keep it anyway. “Promise.”


End file.
